PNT

This is a program I am working on to replace the no longer supported
Cache Register program for the Delorme Earthmate PN-40 and PN-60 GPSrs
. I am posting the current progress on this program for
others to
use. Note: This program is AS IS, use at your own
risk.
It is currently unfinished, and probably contains bugs.

About PNT

PNT stands for PN series Transfer.
It is a
program designed for making transfer of pocket queries to the PN-40 and
PN-60 easier. Gpx files (the format used by pocket queries)
are
stored on the GPSr in a directory called "Waypoints" in either internal
memory or an SD card. The gpx file is then loaded into
working
memory where you can view, navigate, edit and many other things.
When you download a PQ from Geocaching.com, you can just
unzip
the .zip file and drag-n-drop the two gpx files to the GPSr to access
them. The problem with using drag-n-drop method, though, is
that
only one gpx file can be loaded into working memory at a time, and
gc.com pocket queries contain two gpx files, one with the caches, and
one with the child waypoints (parking, trail heads, etc...), so if you
need to navigate to the parking coordinates, you need to load in the
child waypoints which removes the geocaches from working memory, then
when you reach the parking lot, you need to reload the geocaches back
into working memory to navigate to the cache. Switching back
and
forth like this can take up a lot of time, especially when you have
near the maximum number of waypoints in the gpx file (1000 on PN0-40
and 1500 on PN-60). The solution to this problem would be to
somehow combine the two gpx files into one.

Delorme had provided a solution to the
problem with
their Cache Register program. It would automatically
download,
combine, and transfer the Pocket Queries for you. After
Groundspeak made a couple of API changes, causing issues with Cache
Register, Delorme decided it was not worth fixing the program and
dropped it. That leaves you with five options when
dealing
with PQs from groundspeak. One: deal with the long load time
when
switching between gpx files. Two: Do without using child waypoints.
Three: open the files in a text editor and copy the
proper
tags and information from one gpx file to the other. Four and
Five: Use the bulky programs GSAK or Topo North America 10 to
combine and transfer the files to the GPSr.

None of the five options really appealed
to me when
I just wanted to download a PQ and head out caching. So I
decided
to write my own version of Cache Register. I could even put
in
improvements I had wished CR had, such as choice of which PQs to keep
in sync and the ability to filter results.

PNT is not finished

PNT is currently a workable option for
transferring
Pocket Queries, but is far from the program I wish it to be.
I
decided to release this unfinished version for those who could make use
of the currently implemented options. I haven't finished the
filtering options, and there is no functions for field notes nor
accessing gc.com directly yet. Also, there has only been
testing
on my own PN-60, using PQs of my own local area, so there are probably
still many issues to iron out. My plans are that once I get
the
core of the program worked out, I will then add gc.com access through
their API which will allow automatic downloading of PQs from the server
and ability to upload field notes directly.

What PNT currently has

The program is compact, just one .exe
file. You can
load one or more PQs from the hard drive, either as a .gpx file
or from within a .zip. You can filter the file
based on
difficulty, terrain, size, and type. You can then save the
result
as one combined .gpx file to the GPSr. It will also fix some
of
the problems resulting from non-standard characters which breaks the
Delorme's parser causing corrupted files.